


Five times Bren surprised Trent Ikithon, and one time he didn't

by murilegus



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Gen, the mighty nein - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21761245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murilegus/pseuds/murilegus
Summary: Five times Bren surprised Trent Ikithon, and one time he didn't.Spoilers up to episode 87 of campaign 2.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 143





	Five times Bren surprised Trent Ikithon, and one time he didn't

1

The first time Bren surprises Trent is by being a statistical anomaly.  
One exceptionally skilled youth from a small, unremarkable village was bound to happen sooner or later.

But three at the same time? Improbable, but apparently not impossible. 

Taking the Blumenthal trio under his private tutelage, setting them on the path to become scourgers, is one of the easiest choices he has made in a long time.

2

The second time Bren surprises Trent it is not in a good way. The boy had faced and overcome every obstacle and test Trent had thrown into the way of the scourgers in training. Excelled, even. 

And then he breaks at the very finish line. At the final test to prove his loyalty. 

His other two protégés are distressed by what had happened. He himself is only disappointed as he locks Bren away in an asylum.

3

The third time feels almost like vindication in a twisted way. An assurance that he was right to keep the wizard alive. 

Bren has somehow managed not only to break through the barriers in his own mind, but also to kill one of Trent's own men in order to secure his escape from the asylum.

Trent knows, without even having to look, that the necklace preventing scrying will be missing from the dead body.

There was a reason Bren was hand picked for his private tutoring, after all.

4

The fourth time, Trent isn't even aware that it is Bren, but he is nonetheless surprised and impressed by the wizard who turns the tide in the Zadash tournament with a sleep spell of all things. 

He is distracted by the barbarian in the group, however, and quickly forgets about the wizard. It wasn't as though he had cast fire spells with the same brilliance as his little runaway problem, after all.

5

The last time Bren manages to surprise Trent, he actually renders him speechless for a few seconds, causing the messenger who brought the news to take a discretely defensive stance.

There is no doubt. The red haired human wizard, Caleb Widogast, who had just stood before the Bright Queen herself, handing over a Beacon, was Bren Ermendrud.

His precious former scourger in training. Open and proud traitor.

Killing Bren won't be enough to satisfy Trent Ikithon any more. He wants a proper revenge.

\+ 1

Seeing the wizard, bloodied and probably completely tapped after a harrowing fight, standing in front of the King, while that annoying expositor weaves her words like a master bard, Trent for once isn't surprised.

His network of informants have kept track of the group. 

Bren stays silent, trying to be a inconspicuous as humanly possible, but with a defeated air to him. They both know that Trent knows.

His parting words, "Especially you, Bren", are more of a dig for his own amusement than anything else.

But this time, it's not Bren that surprises Trent: it's his companions.

Completely tapped out, barely standing, the group steps up to protect their wizard without even a moment of hesitation.

The clerics flanking his front and back. The monk sliding up to stand between Trent and Bren. Everyone just glaring.

The barbarian barely waits until Trent is supposedly out of earshot before asking if she should kill him. The bumbling uneducated cleric of all people saying that they can.

Trent may have failed at insuring the loyalty of Bren Ermendrud, but Caleb Widogast has apparently secured the unwavering loyalty of the Mighty Nein.

**Author's Note:**

> Trent's views on Beau and Caduceus obviously do not reflect my own, he's just a horrible person.


End file.
